25 Nov 2015
UNISON Scotland e-briefing on Autum Attement online now...
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/briefings/e-briefing_UKAutumnStatement_Nov2015.pdf
"The UK highlights include the abandonment of the savage Tax Credit cuts, following the government’s defeat
in the House of Lords. Higher tax receipts and lower borrowing costs helped meet this cost. However, from
2018 claimants will switch to the new Universal Credit and we will need to ensure this isn’t used as a means
of reinstating the Tax Credit cut. "
...
"The impact of today’s announcement
on Scotland is an average real terms
cut in the Scottish budget of 1.3% per
year. A detail entirely missing from
the Scotland Office press release! In
addition, public bodies will have to
find the cost of the increase in
employers National Insurance
contributions that the Chancellor
announced last year. Plus increasing
demands on services and other costs."
More briefings at UNISON Scotland website
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/briefings/
UNISON. Scotland's biggest and liveliest trade union, representing members delivering public and related services.
Showing posts with label Autumn Statement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Autumn Statement. Show all posts
Wednesday, 25 November 2015
Tax credits u-turn will bring huge relief to working families - UNISON
Wed 25 Nov 2015
Nearly three million working families countrywide have breathed a collective sigh of relief, says UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis.
Commenting on the announcement today (Wednesday) that the Chancellor is to reverse his planned cuts to tax credits, UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said:
“Nearly three million working families countrywide have breathed a collective sigh of relief. Since the cuts were announced in the summer, parents have faced increasing anxiety over losing the tax credits they rely upon so heavily.
“We’re pleased that the Chancellor has made good use of the thinking time last month’s Lords vote gave the government.
“But the real credit for today’s decision goes to the many brave parents who talked publicly about their already stretched finances, and the distress and hardship the cuts would cause. Their stories convinced the government this unfair tax credits grab was wrong.
“The government must now do more to encourage employers to pay staff more – at least the real living wage of £8.25 an hour. This would make a difference to the many low-income families still struggling to make ends meet.
“In 2018 new claims for tax credits will stop, and the families receiving them will start to be switched on to Universal Credit. The Chancellor must not use this change as a way to revive his original plans and leave working families worse off in 2020 than today.”
UNISON UK press release:
https://www.unison.org.uk/news/press-release/2015/11/tax-credits-u-turn-will-bring-huge-relief-to-nearly-three-million-working-families-says-unison/
Nearly three million working families countrywide have breathed a collective sigh of relief, says UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis.Commenting on the announcement today (Wednesday) that the Chancellor is to reverse his planned cuts to tax credits, UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said:
“Nearly three million working families countrywide have breathed a collective sigh of relief. Since the cuts were announced in the summer, parents have faced increasing anxiety over losing the tax credits they rely upon so heavily.
“We’re pleased that the Chancellor has made good use of the thinking time last month’s Lords vote gave the government.
“But the real credit for today’s decision goes to the many brave parents who talked publicly about their already stretched finances, and the distress and hardship the cuts would cause. Their stories convinced the government this unfair tax credits grab was wrong.
“The government must now do more to encourage employers to pay staff more – at least the real living wage of £8.25 an hour. This would make a difference to the many low-income families still struggling to make ends meet.
“In 2018 new claims for tax credits will stop, and the families receiving them will start to be switched on to Universal Credit. The Chancellor must not use this change as a way to revive his original plans and leave working families worse off in 2020 than today.”
UNISON UK press release:
https://www.unison.org.uk/news/press-release/2015/11/tax-credits-u-turn-will-bring-huge-relief-to-nearly-three-million-working-families-says-unison/
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
Autumn Statement: this is the road to disaster, more austerity is not the answer
George Osborne’s Autumn Statement is yet more evidence that austerity is hurting but has no chance of working, UNISON Scottish Secretary Mike Kirby said today.
Mike Kirby said: “The Chancellor stood up today and told us we were on the right track, and that turning back would be a disaster. The truth – as shown by his record of multiple recession, mass unemployment and a massive attack on public services – is that the ConDem austerity plan has already been a disaster.
“Promising still more austerity is not the answer to our growing economic and social problems. It is pure and dangerous ideological malice.
“The cuts George Osborne continues to impose hurt people who depend on public services and set back our economic recovery.
“Half a million jobs have already been lost in the public services - 30,000 in Scotland - since the economic crisis began. And another 250,000 more are under threat - as we’re still only a quarter of the way through the government’s austerity measures.
“He says he’s ending the public sector pay freeze – but wages have dived far below the freezing point and public service workers are being frozen out from real pay rises for years into the future. The pensions tax of 3% which faces many of our members adds an extra burden.
“The Chancellor said we are all in this together, he said he’d make sure the rich would pay their fair share – then handed out a tax break to the rich, and cut the rate of corporation tax even further.
“In short this is the wrong budget for the wrong time.”
Mike Kirby added: “The ‘extra’ which Scotland is promised isn’t quite as generous as it looks. It doesn’t go anywhere near making up for Scotland’s declining budget – cut as a result of the Chancellor’s disastrous austerity plan.
“However it does give the Scottish government some limited choices. We believe preventative spending is likely to be better for the economy, jobs and public services both in the short and long term than the much hyped ‘shovel ready’ projects which Alex Salmond has said are the only way to get the economy moving."
ENDS
UNISON has identified billions of pounds that could be used to provide an alternative to drastic public spending cuts that have vandalised our public services, devastated communities and laid waste to our economy.
This funding would help save services, put people back to work, increase the taxes paid to the Treasury, boost consumer spending power and reduce unnecessary spending on benefits.
Sources of funding could include the £34.8bn cash surplus built up by the Bank of England
now being returned to the Treasury (£11bn in 2012/13 and £23.8bn in 2013/14)
A further £10bn could be raised by tackling aggressive tax avoidance schemes – and even more could be raised by making multinationals pay their fair share.
For more information on UNISON’s policies to defend our public services please go to
.
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Action needed on underemployment - UNISON and STUC responses
Wed 28 Nov 2012
UNDEREMPLOYMENT – UNISON RESPONSE
UNISON, the UK’s largest union, is warning that underemployment is masking broader economic problems and holding back the recovery.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) out today show that the number of underemployed people has risen by more than one million between 2008 and 2012.
The union is warning that people stuck in part time work will be more reliant on in-work benefits as well as having less money to spend in local shops and businesses, which is what we need to fuel our economic recovery.
It is calling on the government to take urgent action – investing in infrastructure to create jobs, and to end the public sector pay freeze – helping to avoid a triple dip recession.
Karen Jennings, UNISON assistant general secretary, said:
“The government likes to claim that the employment statistics are proof of our recovery. Underemployment statistics expose this claim as a sham.
“No wonder our economic growth has faltered – more than three million people are underemployed, many of them are stuck in part time work, but want full time hours. Growing underemployment is masking broader economic problems and holding back the recovery.
“We desperately need people to be out spending to fuel a real recovery. The government should intervene – creating jobs by investing in infrastructure and ending the public sector pay freeze to put money in people’s pockets.
“The alternative is to allow our economy to carry on falling into a triple dip recession.”
ENDS
UNISON, the UK’s largest union, is warning that underemployment is masking broader economic problems and holding back the recovery.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) out today show that the number of underemployed people has risen by more than one million between 2008 and 2012.
The union is warning that people stuck in part time work will be more reliant on in-work benefits as well as having less money to spend in local shops and businesses, which is what we need to fuel our economic recovery.
It is calling on the government to take urgent action – investing in infrastructure to create jobs, and to end the public sector pay freeze – helping to avoid a triple dip recession.
Karen Jennings, UNISON assistant general secretary, said:
“The government likes to claim that the employment statistics are proof of our recovery. Underemployment statistics expose this claim as a sham.
“No wonder our economic growth has faltered – more than three million people are underemployed, many of them are stuck in part time work, but want full time hours. Growing underemployment is masking broader economic problems and holding back the recovery.
“We desperately need people to be out spending to fuel a real recovery. The government should intervene – creating jobs by investing in infrastructure and ending the public sector pay freeze to put money in people’s pockets.
“The alternative is to allow our economy to carry on falling into a triple dip recession.”
ENDS
UNISON UK news release
STUC on Scottish underemployment statistics
The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) General Secretary Grahame Smith, responding to today’s publication of official statistics on underemployment said:
“The STUC welcomes publication of these figures which shine a light on a problem all too often ignored.
“The STUC has consistently stressed that headline unemployment statistics do not tell reveal the full extent of Scotland's labour market problems. With ONS confirming that 9.9% of Scottish workers are underemployed there is now no excuse for debate not to be properly informed.
“The STUC waits with hope, if not expectation, for the chancellors Autumn statement to include serious measures to boost demand in order to start supporting the full time, decently paid, permanent positions people need to make ends meet.”
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